MAPUSA
A total of 97 candidates have filed 122 nominations for elections to the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC), even as the nomination process ended on Thursday.
The final tally of the number of candidates in the fray will come down after the scrutiny of the nomination papers which will take place on Friday and withdrawal on Saturday.
Former chairpersons “ Prabhakar Vernekar (Ward 1), Michael Carrasco (Ward 4), Sudhir Kandolkar (Ward 19) and Renuka (Rupa) Bhakta (Ward 19) have filed their nominations. Former vice-chairpersons “ Marlene D’Souza (Ward 8) and Vijeyta Naik (Ward 15) have also filed their papers.
Two candidates each have filed nominations in Ward 9 (women), Ward 13 (women) and Ward 19 (general), which will virtually make it a straight fight in the wards.
As decided earlier, former chairperson Rupa Bhakta will cross swords with her former colleague Sudhir Kandolkar in Ward 19.
Although BJP and the opposition are yet to officially announce their panels, candidates aligned to the respective parties have filed their nominations.
Besides, NCP General Secretary and social worker Sanjay Barde has floated a panel under the banner of Shree Bodgeshwar Development Front and has fielded seven candidates.
Several former councillors “ Anand Bhaidkar (Ward 1), Alpha Bhaidkar (Ward 2), Chandrashekar Benkar (Ward 2), Sushant Harmalkar (Ward 4), Franky Carvalho (Ward 7) and Swapnil Shirodkar (Ward 15) have also filed their nominations.
Several former chairpersons and councillors who could not contest in their wards due to the reservation have fielded their kin in the wards.
